


Business

by Wind3637



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alliance, F/M, Modern AU, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:42:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 15,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23664817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wind3637/pseuds/Wind3637
Summary: Shikamaru found his job quite boring and troublesome but, well, he was well known to find everything troubesome. More especially Suna's princess who came in Konoha to form an alliance between Suna and Konoha.This deal seemed a bit weird to Shikamaru's opinion but what could go wrong ?
Relationships: Nara Shikamaru/Temari
Comments: 24
Kudos: 64





	1. Nara Shikamaru

**Author's Note:**

> Hello ! I am knew at writting fanfictions so I hope you will like it !  
> Moreover, I am french so my english is not amazing, this is the reason why my writting is not really good, but as i want to improve my english, i will write in this language. So, if someone would like to help me correcting my mistakes i will be glad. As english is not my first language, I am slower to write, hope you don't mind. But i have more than one chapter in stanby !  
> Hope you will enjoy it and leave a comment, i am really curious about what you think of this story !

Business  
Chapter one

A loud sigh was heard in a big office of the head building from Konoha, the place where the leaders, as the hokage who was at the top of the power, were taking decisions about the future of the area.  
This office was quite vast but was occupied only by two people. The walls, light, were covered in one side with a colossal amount of pictures and other stuffs as a ticket for a special type of ramen from the noodle shop beside the building. We could read « Ichiraku Ramen special noodles, secret recipe » on it.  
The other side, instead, was almost empty except for a single photo were a bunch of people could be seen with smile in their faces.

Hearing the loud sigh, a blond head stared ,with his blue eyes, at his lazy friend who was working just in front of him, in a similar iron desk.  
With a little too much excitement, he said :

« -Come on Shikamaru ! We have to work hard to complete our ambitions ! »  
« -Stop being like Lee,Naruto or I swear I'll ask to share my office with someone else. »

The said Naruto, looked insure in direction of his friend, waiting for « I am joking Bro » and after a few seconds watching the unimpressed look on his friend's blank face, he told himself that he was not joking at all, after all, he rarely joked at all.

After one or two growls, the blond head went back to work, imitating Shikamaru.

« Why is all this so troublesome ? Even if the salary is better than great, so much responsibilities annoyed me. » He thought. Shikamaru Nara was well known to be the greatest lazy man from all Konoha. But he was smart, so it was ok.  
Moreover, he was the only son of Shikaku Nara, the counselor of the actual Hokage. When Shikamaru had the age to work, his father recommended him working with him to be the next counselor.  
The Hokage, Minato Namikaze accepted quickly, knowing the reputation of the Nara being the smartest in the area.  
Naruto Uzumaki, him, was the son of the Hokage (he has not the same name, he took his mother's, no one knows why.) and his dream is to be the next Hokage as most of the citizen in Konha. 

Except that, he was just energy on bar who seemed to never get tired of laughing and eating ramen, his favorite meal .

So, being probably the next generation of leaders, they have to share an office, even if the young Nara wasn't always happy about it. Indeed, Naruto was very talkative leading to disturb the Nara when he was taking a nap. Of course, Shikamaru liked Naruto, he was one of his closest friends, but sometimes, well even evey time, he was handful.

When Shikamaru was still complaining about having too much work instead of actually doing it, as usual, a knock on the door was made.  
Just after Naruto told this unknown person to come in, a young girl with big and unique spectacles progressed timidly toward Shikamaru.  
The boy didn't notice that she was blushing a lot and just wait for her to speak.

« -Hi, Shi-Shikamaru. Your father, Shikaku Nara wants you to come in the Hokage office without waiting. » Hearing this, Naruto looked at her full of hope until the girl added « Just Shikamaru ».  
Disappointed, Naruto started pouting and talking about injustice.  
His friend growled. « Now ? How troublesome. »

Without a word, he stood up and walked lazily toward his destination which was not very far from his office as it was more conveiente as they much go their a lot, before, knocking lazily.  
When he came in, Minato and Shikaku were seated ,obviously waiting for him.

Both him and Naruto looked alike their father, like a lot. The fathers seemed just older and Shikaku had a little bear making him even older. But, their personalities were different, which was good. Who wanted to be the exact copy of their parents ?

« -Shikamaru, you can sit. We called you because we have some visit today, and we thought it was a good opportunity for you to learn more about foreign relations. »  
When Minato told him that, Shikamaru wanting to laugh. Did they know he wanted to do anything except participating in this kind of stuff ?

But he knew very well he hadn't the choice, so, trying to hide a sight, he took a sit before his father started :

« -As you may know, today the envoy of Suna comes to talk about the possibilities of an alliance. The relations between Konoha and Suna had always been pretty tense, so we have to keep our eyes peeled just in case. Especially when we know who the Kazekage sent. »

Arching an eyebrow in question, Shikamaru was waiting for more details about this person.  
« -To make short, she is Suna's princess and is 21 years old. We don't really understand why he sent someone without experience alone to make arrangement between us in a place she never been. »

« They sent their princess ? Do they think that a status will scare us and make us accept anything ? How bold» this is what he tough and wanted to say. But he knew it was not the thing to say so opted for :  
« So.... Are you going to test her ? Like, to know if she is trustful and strong enough to lead this alliance ? » He didn't know why, but he knew that it wasn't a good idea at all. It just felt too dangerous, and he also knew that the kazekage was far from stupid, which that said, this girl must know what she must do.  
But he decided to trust his father. Shikaku was far smarter than him and, more important, he has more experience than him so they should not have issues.

« -Exactly, said the Hokage, but we have to be discreet. We can't leave this potential alliance to a young woman, especially a princess. Who knows what her reactions would be like if we disagree with her ? »

Just when the Hokage finished his sentence, the same girl for earlier, who was named Shiho, came to announce the arrival of the princess.  
« Lets the game begins » though Shikamaru.


	2. The meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is time for Shikamaru to meet Temari. How will it go ?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello ! Here is the second chapter of this story, not too long after I posted the first one. Indeed, it was really short and not really descriptiv of the setting. So now, I let you meet Suna's Princess...

When the young woman entered, Shikamaru's mouth went dry. She was absolutely, without any hesitations, the most beautiful woman he ever saw. And he wasn't joking.  
She was tall but not taller than Shikamaru. Her hair was a sandy blond and was curled in four ponytails, he never saw something like this but it looked good on her.  
Her eyes.... Well, her eyes were unique. She must have been the only human being with teal eyes. There were intense and inquisitors but mysterious. For the shortest moment existing, he wanted to resolve the mystery in them.

Reality came back to him when he felt the Hokage and his father stood up and, he imitated them quickly to look in total control.  
She bowed in respect before walking elegantly toward them. Her clothes seemed expensive (not like his : a white shirt and a simple jean, but at least it was comfortable, and that was the most important.) but pretty classic except for her mauve blazer in her shoulders.  
Here i thought she would wear a crown. Though the young man ironically.

« -Sabakuno Temari, it is an honor. » Said Minato, who tried to show a real respect for the princess. After all, she was royal and if the leader of another place disrespect her, it would be bad...terrible....like a war, for the worst scenario, we never know the reaction of a human being.

« The honor is mine, Hokage sama. » Her voice was so cool that it was impossible to know if she was lying, even for someone who read people as well as Shikamaru , and he wasn't pleased with that. Indeed, if he was perfect for this job, it was because he could easily read people only by their behavior. He could know if they hide something as easily as he was breathing.

She sat calmly and started looking at Minato and Shikaku, not even wasting time looking at Shikamaru who didn't seem to be really important in this case. She must have thought that he was only a secretary, and he couldn't blame her : a man dressing as a teenager, almost lying in his chair (yes it is possible) he looked the least professional for sure.

« Sabakuno Temari, we are really happy to the view of this, i hope, new alliance. But first, we wanted to know why your father wants an alliance with us ? We are not the nearest city. »

The three men were anticipated her answer. Suna and Konoha had never been the best friends. They talk well in front of the others and one minute later, were stabbing the other's back. It is for this that when they heard about the chief of Suna wanting an alliance, they all though about a bad plan leading to a treason. Of course, if they though that, it was only because Konoha would have probably done the same thing, but they will never admit it of course.

« Well, lets not wasting our precious time and let me answer directly to your questions. As you surely know, Suna has oil. Which is, as far as I know what all the others countries want. With it, you can have it all : money, power, respect. This is where Konoha comes in. What we want, is help. Money more exactly. »

« Why do you want money if you have oil ? As you just said, if you have oil, you have money. You just have to sell it. »  
Shikamaru said that before even realizing it, which surprised him, and all the others. Indeed, Temari seemed to finally acknowledge him, but, again, the look she gave him was still unreadable.  
After a few seconds of silence, making him really uncomfortable, she spoke with a more serious voice.

« Well, as you know, without money, we can't extract the oil. We tried to hide that for some times, but we don't have enough money to buy all the material and paying people to extract it. In fact, Suna never had enough money for anything as huge. I shouldn't tell you that we are lacking of money of course, but we are the one asking for an alliance, take this as...a proof of the trust we put in Konoha.»

« Why konoha ? As said the senator, we are not the nearest. »  
When Shikamaru finished this sentence, the princess of Suna was obviously dying to roll her eyes. She was annoyed by his questions, but he did not care, in fact, he was pleased to finally see an emotion in her eyes. Moreover, he wanted answers. He did not know why, but he could not come to term with trusting her. After all, she was from Suna and he remembered all the stories he learned in his school playground about people of Suna being cruel and violent.

The most famous story was about a warrior of Suna who were killing people and used their bodies as puppets. It is also said that he even killed people of his village. The only traces which could be find after his slaugter was the sand soaked in blood, which gave him the name of Sasori of the Red sand.

« Konoha is the richest area and the most powerful by the way. So, the question is not 'why Konoha' but 'Why not Konoha' ? »  
He knew that she had a point, and she knew it as well because of the stupid little smile in her freaking beauti-, just her face.  
She kept talking and for the first time, he noticed a subtle accent in the way she talked. An accent of Suna of course, and it was so subtle that not everyone could notice it.

« You don't have to accept ,of course. We could ask Kiri for example. They need this oil but.... You need it too. It could be a way for you to become stronger. You just have to give us money and you will have a good part of this oil. The whole word knows that, as much money yoou have, you still need more and more. »  
She stopped and put an evil smirk in her face :

« Of course, as I said it before, you don't have to accept. We can easily find someone else. »  
Again, a silence, thicker and thicker.

The three men were shattered because of a woman who was, for two of them, twice younger than them. They wanted to test her, they thought the princess had only the beauty and title by her side, but they were wrong. She was really smart and didn't let herself be impressed by others. She was strong and this was undeniable.

She was waiting. The young woman was waiting for them to talk, to give her an answer about the deal and, whatever will be this answer, she would have something to say back. She wasn't going to lose, she could not come back to suna with a defeat, because if she had been chosed for this job by her father was because he kew one thing : Temari always loved winning.   
That is what she seemed to think until the youngest Nara decided to talk after a big yawn.

« Why sending the princess only for money ? It would have been less troublesome to send a mail, don't you think , princess ? Without adding that you are very young to have such a powerful position. » At the end of the sentence, he sat back and were looking directly into teal eyes which definitely wanted to rip the smile playing in his face. He did not know what he said that, but he was curious to see her losing control.  
When she talked, the cool tone gave its place to a more serious and more grave one.

« Princess or not, I've been asked to take care of the relations of the company which takes care of the oil. So I am the one who has to deal with you. I won't stay in a big office watching people doing my job while I pretend taking the lead. Concerning my age, I don't think that a 16 years old boy has a place to say that.»  
Gosh, she doesn't have to get angry that fast. Troublesome.  
To not be killed by the woman clearly annoyed because of him, Shikamaru put his hands in front of him to show his surrender. But he still said « I am not 16 by the way »  
The Hokage cleared his throat after the awkwardness of the scene to draw the attention on him. This work when Temari turned quickly her head to look at him.

« Well, I think we will take the time to think about it. This is a very interesting proposition but I think you understand that I can't give you an immediate answer. We still need to be sure about Suna's intentions, we can't just give you money like that without guarantee. »

« Of course, I will stay in Konoha until you have proper answer. If you have a question you can call me at this number ». She pulled a little paper with her number on it from her blazer before putting it in the desk.  
When she stood up to annouce her going the others did the same. She quickly bow before addressing an obviously very fake smile and leaved without another word.

« Well, the test was useless. » Stated Minato. Shikamaru was reassured to not be the only one being impressed by her.

« We should have not underestimated the Kazekage. He made sure to have under his order people well-trained for every type of situations. She was obviously trained very well. She isn't just a princess, as she said, she is a real business woman who surely knows how to trade. But, the control she had back there makes me doubt even more, I could not guess if she had any other intention.» Added Shikaku while stretching his back, earning some 'plop' from his bones.

Shikamaru didn't know many things about the Kazekage, after all, Suna was not a place he was interesting in. He didn't even know his name, so he asked.

« What's his name again ? I mean, the Kazekage's name ? »  
The senator let out a big sight before pronouncing two words which send goose bumps to the young man.

« Sabakuno Rasa. »

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it ! Do not hesitate to write a comment about a mistake I did or only about your thought !  
> See you next time !


	3. The party

Chapter 3

After a very long day with a very troublesome woman, Shikamaru was happy to spend some time with his friends at a bar. It was a little bar to which only them were going, which was great, his friends could be sometimes a little awkward.  
Tonight, they were eight. Indeed, not everyone could be there as some of them had to work the morning after.  
So, it was 'only' him, Ino, Choji, Sakura, Naruto, Lee, Neji and Kiba. Of course the noisiest were here so the night will be intense for sure, especially if Lee gets drunk and transformed to a ninja taking everyone as an enemies, even his friends. And that was, most of the time, a very painful experience as Shikamaru was always taken by the most evil bad guy that Lee had the duty to get the word ride of.

When Shikamaru came slowly into the bar, hands hidden in his pockets, all of his friends were already around a table, with a glass of some weird liquid in their hands.

« SHIKAMARU, YOU ARE LATE ! AGAIN ! »

This was Ino. One of his best friends. She was always bossing him around, but he couldn't do anything about it. She was right, thought. He felt asleep when he came home and forgot about the meeting with his friends. Well, it wasn't the first time that it happened, but he still didn't set an alarm saying that it was too troublesome. Eveything was troublesome anyway.

« I know, sorry guys.... I was just.... Busy ? » Even him didn't believe his lie so how the could others ?

A big silence where everyone looked at him with a look which were saying 'Seriously ?' confirmed his thoughts.

« Again sleeping I bet » Said Ino to Sakura. The girls were best friends and best enemies at the same times. Indeed, Shikamaru remember very well the day where Ino were mocking Sakura's forehead until a blond man with almost the same hair as Ino started laughing saying that it was the longest forehead he ever saw. A few minutes later, the security was trying desperately to isolate Ino from the guy.

When he sat between Choji and Ino, an empty glass was placed in front of him before being filled with the same liquid as the others.  
He didn't wait long before drinking and winced when the alcohol met his lips.  
He eyes focused on Kiba, not the closest friend of the Nara, but they still had good times together, when the dog lover stated talking with excitement.

« Had you heard about the princess of Suna ? I heard she is like soooooooo hot. »  
So surprised to hear about her when he though being away from this woman made him stifled with his drink. Choji automatically hit his back gently, thinking that his friend had just drunk too fast.

As for Ino, Choji was also his best friend. The three of them grew up together and knew each other by heart. Choji was probably one of the kindest guys in earth, a really soft boy always trying to help people.

« Shikamaru met her ! He can tell us if she really is hot ! »

At this time, Shikamaru hated Naruto with his big freaking mouth. The blond seemed to love bringing him in things he didn't want to be part of.  
When he heard that, Kiba looked intensely at the Nara, wainting obviously for an answer of his previous statement. Well, the others were looking at him too, kiba wasn't the only curious. Even Neji, the most serious guy, or maybe it was Sasuke, was trying to hide his curiosity but failed.

« She is just the most troublesome. Don't get to close Kiba, trust me. »  
Indeed, Kiba Inuzuka was pretty famous with girls. Shikamaru never understood why girls were into him... Maybe it was because of his puppy Akamaru with whom he spent all his time ?

« Is she that troublesome ? » Asked Neji calmly.  
Shikamaru nodded. In fact, he didn't know a thing about her, and they almost didn't talk, so he can't really say that she is troublesome but, let's say that his instinct is telling him that she is, and he trusted his instinct.

« Tsss, Shikamaru finds every woman troublesome. So it is not a surprise he thinks she is as well. » Ino declared with annoyance toward her friend.  
The young Nara sighed but before he could say something back, Kiba exclaimed :

« I did not know that her mother is dead. That must be hard. I think she'll need someone like me to conform her. » He finished with a wink very...bestial. (Don't ask me how it is possible.)  
Kiba was looking at his phone where, it seemed, he was searching for information about Temari in her wikipedia page.

« What else can you find ? » Asked Tenten being suddenly curious about the princess.

« Nothing, her page is almost blank. We just know that she is royalty, and the names of people from her family. It's all. »

He seemed almost disappointed. Kiba of course,Kiba was disappointed, Shikamaru, him, didn't care about her life, didn't care at all.

After this, for his relief , they stopped talking about her and started laughing and drinking for a long time, trying to remember the old time together.  
Unfortunately for them, Lee was drunk quickly. Suddenly, he jumped on the table, pointed at a girl with spectacles before screaming :

« GUYS SHE HAS GLASSES ! I WANT GLASSES TOO ! YOUTHHH » Not long after this, Lee passed out falling on Shikamaru, who earned a final drunk punch from his unconscious friend. Fortunately, while sleeping, he won't try to play ninja. Well, they all hoped so. 

At some point, everyone were wasted and tired, so they went home. Happily, none of them came by driving, they weren't that stupid. Even Naruto.

Shikamaru was walking, or at least trying to, toward his apartment, wanting nothing more than sleeping in his cozy bed . After approximately ten minutes, he reached his home. He really loved his apartment, it was near his work and near the city center. So it was perfect for someone as lazy as him who didn't like walking too much.

When he opened his door, he sighed of relief because of the calm of his place. Indeed, being in the city center means that the streets were always noisy. And the noise was troublesome and prevented him from sleeping.

His place wasn't so big but it was enough for one person. The walls were white but, contrary to his office, you could find a lot of pictures of his family and his friends. The rest of the furniture were pretty simple in the black and white colors.

Still in the same clothes, Shikamaru fell on his bed but hit his head into the head of the bed and let out a loud grunt while holding his head in pain.  
« Seriously ? Like I am not going to have a headache strong enough tomorrow! »  
Happily, he won't work the morning after, comforting him about his future hangover.  
Without waiting more, the young man fell asleep....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here was the third chapter ! I hope you enjoyed it ! Please tell me what you think of it or if you see any mistake.  
> See you next time and take care of you !


	4. Boxes

The week-end over, Shikamaru went back to work, not without complaining about how it was troublesome.

He expected a long and normal day at the office, reading papers while listening to Naruto speaking about his dreams of becoming the next Hokage. Unfortunately for him, as soon as he came into the building, Shiho, still blushing at his view, announced him that his father was waiting for him up there.  
He knew he could say goodbye to the nap he anticipated since he woke up.

In the elevator, Shikamaru took a look in his phone looking at his group of friends' group chat.

Nothing really interesting, only a battle of gifs between Lee and Naruto. Shaking his head at his friends stupidity, he stored his phone in his pocket when the doors of the elevator opened. Lazily, he walked toward his father office.

« You are late, Shikamaru... » His father said without looking up from his papers to look at his son.

« But I did not call you for that. You remember Sabakuno Temari right ? »

How could I forget a troublesome woman like her ? This is what he wanted to say, but he knew his father was already a bit irritated because of his delay.

« Yes, I do remember her. »

« Great. As you don't have anything really important today, you will help her organize her new office. It is important to show our implication in this Alliance. After all, she was right. This oil could be very useful for Konoha. » He said, still with his eyes stuck at the papers, which made Shikamaru curious about their value.

« Wait, what ? » He blurted out as he just understood what his father said. He continued.

« First, why does she have an office here ? And, why me ? It has nothing to do with my job. You could ask that Shiho girl ! »

Finally, the son managed to draw his father's attention away from the papers.

« First, she needs a place to work as she will stay sometimes while we find a common understanding. Wa can't just tell her to work at the hotel. Secondly, your job for now is to do what I tell you to do. Now, I think you should go to not make her wait. » Just after this, he went back to his papers, showing the end of the discussion. Shikamaru knew he could not say anything more, so he did what he was told to, not without saying 'what a drag' under his breath.

He quickly walked toward Shiho, who was just outside Shikaku's office.

« Shiho ! »

Her head snapped so violently in Shikamaru's direction that he's though having heard a weird noise from her neck, making them both winced.

« Shikamaru ! What a coincidence ! »  
In fact, it wasn't a coincidence. They worked in the same building after all. They both knew that but the Nara chose to ignore it.

« I have a quick question. I need to know where is Sabakuno Temari's office. »

Knowing how troublesome the princess was at their first encounter, it wasn't hard to imagine she hated delay, and the last thing he wanted was to hear her accusations while he has to help her .

He still did not understand why he should help her about her office. During their first encounter, she made clear that she was a competent woman so why could not she does it herself ? Or at least, they could have asked someone else. Someone stronger. Of course, the Nara was not weak, but he was definitely not the strongest in the building.  
His father wasn't stupid, so Shikamaru assumed that it was more about the real reasons of this alliance more than just helping her to move her desk.

In the other side, Shiho seemed quite disappointed to hear that. Indeed, it was the first time he came to talk to her, and she had high hopes in vain.

« Oh... Mmm, she is here. » She showed him directly with a map.  
Shikamaru wasn't surprise to learn that their guest had one of the best offices with a breath taking view of the city. He was a bit jealous, he always loved looking at the sky, and he knew she had a good view of it.

After a few minutes, he was finally in front of her office. He knocked carefully and opened the door at the sound of acknowledgment coming from inside.

The room was really huge with big windows in almost every wall. As he already knew, the view was amazing. Strangely, the office was empty except for a massif desk in the middle. He looked for Temari when he saw her admiring the view. He knew she knew he was there, but obviously did not care. He started being annoyed with people not acknowledging him today, so he cleared his throat loudly.  
She slowly turned to stare at him with irritation of being disturbed in her calm occupation.

« I was asked to help you to move your furniture to the room. » He said trying to give an excuse.

She rolled her eyes and showed him the almost empty room with her arms before replying with a bored voice :

« Do I look like I need help ? I think I can manage moving two armchairs and an empty bookcase. »

« That's all ? No big plant ? No crown or a big sculpture of yourself ? »

He knew if a glare could kill, he will already be dead.

« Let's be clear » She said while taking a step closer. « I am here to work and to help my people, nothing else. So let me ask you to keep your little stupid comments for yourself. »

Well, this is how Shikamaru lost all interest he had last night for her. She was more than troublesome. She was mean and seemed always angry at people with a place lower than hers.

He turned, preparing to leave when his eyes went to three massive boxes which was entirely filled with files. A smirk came across his face, and he turned again to face her once more, his thumb toward the boxes.

« So I guess you can move these alone ? They seem pretty heavy right ? » She looked at them, then back at him. They both knew that she will have difficulties to move them alone, which irritated her even more.

She bite back.

« Can you ? »

Touché.

« No, you are right, I can't . But the problem is not mine, right ? But if you ask very politely, I could maybe help you. Together we could manage. »

She was thinking about it, he could say that, and he was almost sure she will accept., that he won over her this time.

« No thank you, I think you can go now. »

He was, one more time, taken aback by her. She was stubborn and won't let him win. Rolling his eyes, he came out and went back to his office.

Troublesome and proud. She has it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear readers ! I hope you enjoyed this new chapter !  
> Don't hesitate leaving a comment ! I will be glad to read them !  
> I hope you will have a good day !


	5. Cold

It's been almost one month that Temari came in Konoha for the alliance and yet, nothing has been concluded. Indeed, even if the princess was good at her job, the Hokage did not seem to trust her Father. It is for this that a week after her arrival, the young Nara had been ask to try to discover what was in Rasa's mind. Unfortunately, even if Shikamaru was good at reading people, he discovered nothing yet. Temari was as closed as a clam.

Of course, he tried to be kind, in vain. She obviously was not the type to open just because of a pretty smile. Or maybe it was because she knew he was fake with her ?

Anyway, the thing is that he put a lot of effort in this task in hope to see her goes back to Suna and letting him in peace. Indeed, every time he was in the same room as her, she was being troublesome and quite mean. Nothing of what she said really hurt him, but he was still annoyed by it.

One day of cold weather ( Konoha is kind of famous for its weather which can change rather quickly) Shikamaru, dressed only with a jacket thicker than usually but not too much because he was used of this weather, walked toward Temari's office, a file in his hand.

He knocked on the door and after no immediate answer, he came in before freezing at what he saw.  
In front of him, almost lying on her desk, was Temari, a big scarf hiding the inferior part of her face. But, the most ridiculous part for him was the big plaid on her shoulder and the burning coffee in her hands.

Shikamaru let out a big and mocking laugh bringing tears in his eyes. He knew it was not the behavior to have in front of someone he was supposed to take out information, but he was done being kind to her. After all, he already accepted that she won't tell him anything.

Her eyes snapped at him, and with the coldest voice she had in reserve, she said

« Care to share what are you laughing at Nara ? »

« Clearly at you. It is cool outside, but when I look at you, it seems like we are in the Arctic. » Said Shikamaru short of breath after a few seconds of intense laughing.

Temari, obviously offended, took of violently her plaid.

« You should know we are not all born in a place with the same weather as Konoha. Some of us are born in the desert. I'd like to see you in Suna during summer. Your dear brain would melt in no time. »

He chuckled, at her behavior.. It was so easy to upset her that it was starting to amused him.

« Calm down princess. I came in peace. » Her eyes narrowed in anger every times he called her 'Princess', it is exactly for this reason he kept calling her that way.

« I came here to tell you that Konoha can't accept this alliance if Suna doesn't give more than that. » While he was saying this, he seated, opened the little file in his hands before clapping it on her office and pointed at a number with not enough zero for Konoha's taste.

« I thought I made it clear that we can't give you more money as guarantee. » Said the young woman, eyes glued on the paper, with what Shikamaru though was concern.

« Yes, I remember. But after thinking, we don't trust you enough, and you don't have anything interresting to give us. So, the deal is : Suna gives us money as a guarantee, more than what you proposed of course. Then, and only then, Konoha will send Suna all you need to extract what you have under your ground. Once it's done, and we have a part of it at each extraction, we'll give you your money back, little by little. We can never be too careful, right ? »

A long silence where Temari stared intensely at Shikamaru, followed. Usually, she answered really fast at everything, but this time, no sound got out of her. For one moment, Shikamaru though that he finally managed to make her speechless. But it seems that the genius was always wrong about her. He expected everything, except watching her giving up her royal behavior to see exhaustion in her eyes.

She let out a long sigh before hiding her face in her hands. As said before, Shikamaru was taken aback by this view. Of course, as always, he first guessed that it was a way to 'manipulate' him, this it was until he heard a voice totally different from her cool but strong voice.

« We can't... We don't have the money you asked. »

This voice was, as her look, tired and almost.... Hopeless.  
Suddenly, she straightened in her seat and looked deeply in his eyes. He returned it with the same intensity.

« We are not like Konoha or the others. We barely have water and food for everyone. We need to buy them. Every month. I let you imagine the price of transport. So fucking expensive. I went here to ask you money, this means that we don't have it.» She marked a stop as to think of her next words.

« If we give you more money, we won't be able to give our people enough water and food. Do you know how many people die in one year in Suna ? »

He shook his head to say 'no'.

« Too much. Because of the heat, of dehydration, because they starved to death. Without talking about what live in the desert. No surprise we are the weakest of the five great nations. We have nothing. Nothing except this oil. I could ask the Kazekage to increase your part if you want. But, we can't give you this money. I won't let it happen. »

It was Shikamaru's time to be speechless. Here he thought she was only interest in power. Her voice almost a whisper at the end, but he never heard it stronger than this time. Her care for her people, he saw it every day, with the Hokage and Naruto.

Could he really trust her ? He did not know.

« Well, I still don't know if we can trust you, but I will talk with my father. It doesn't mean we'll help Suna, but we never know. »

Hearing these words, Temari's eyes widened and a little smile came on her lips. It wasn't as the fake ones she used to give them. This one was real, sincere, and Shikamaru's heart fastened at the view.

God, what's wrong with me suddenly ?

« Thank you Shikamaru » immediately after her words, she sneezed pretty violently breaking the bubble of sincerity they were in.

Shikamaru, for the second time in one hour, laughed at her. He stood up, and he gave her a tissue that she took quickly.

« Be careful, seems like you caught a cold. » He winked before walking toward the door, but he still could hear a little 'Ass Hole' behind him, making him smile.

He felt weird suddenly. He knew the cold and serious Temari, so, learning about the caring one was a shock. He did not know why he was so affected by it, and it was really annoying him. He could not put a word on what he was feeling, and nothing is scarier than having a feeling you did not know. Especially for someone loving having a total control on him and who was able to solve everything.

Hands in his pockets, he walked out of the building. He'll have plenty of time to talk with his father tomorrow. Right now, he just wanted to take a nap. He felt tired all of a sudden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello ! Here is another chapter, not long after the previous one. I wanted to do somehing longer, but I failed haha. I did ot want to force myself by writting more so...  
> Hope you enjoyed it !


	6. Babysitting

Days after his conversation with Temari, Shikamaru did not have a sign of her. He did as he told her, talking with his father to try to have a new arrangement for the alliance. As he thought, he said he'll see this arrangement with a new eye but it didn't mean they were going to accept it.

The hour after it, he tried to go in her office to tell her but, nothing. She wasn't there, nor the day after, and the one after the previous one. She disappeared as quickly as she came.  
He knew she was going to come back. After all, all her files were still here, and they weren't mundane. No, they were important just by the fact that she took they with her to Konoha.  
If she came with them, they were no doubts that she will go back to Suna with them.

It's been four days and Shikamaru didn't care. Why would he ? He wasn't even sightly touched by her sincere speech, and he did not repeated it in his head every day . Not at all.

And anyone would be crazy to say he was disappointed when he asked Shiho everyday if Temari was here and that every time she said no.

He wanted to push away that feeling of curiosity he had for her. But it was still here. He didn't want to be her friend or anything else for her, but he was still curious. Curious about her past, what made her be so confident while, at the same time, being caring and protector.

This new day was his day off, and he was asked to babysit Mirai. This young girl was Asuma and Kurenai's daughter. Shikamaru did not really like having a child's safety on him, but he had to admit he liked spending time with this adorable little girl. Moreover, Asuma was as a second father to him, it was natural for him to help him, he was maybe lazy, but was very dedicated to his friends and family.

At his arrival, a few feet before the door of the apartment, Kurenai welcomed him before he had the chance to knock. She was followed by her husband who smiled warmly at the young Nara.

This night, the two had decided to finally take the time for them.

Since Mirai birth, a few years ago, they dedicated all their time to her, but since two or three months, they felt the need to have some time in privacy.

When they talk about them wanting to go to the new restaurant, Shikamaru proposed himself, knowing that Mirai won't be too sad to see her parents go since Shikamaru was practically family for her.

Of course, Ino and Choji wanted to come to, they adored Mirai (Who doesn't ?), but unfortunately, Ino needed to help Sakura about love issues and Choji's father needed him. So, it was only Shikamaru for tonight.

While Kurenai and Asuma were thanking the young man, a little human with red eyes jumped on Shikamaru's leg.

« Big brother ! Shika, Shika ! »

She was laughing and talking at the same time, making her parents' heart melting.

« Well, we have to go if we don't want to be late for our reservation. » Kurenai said before taking Asuma's hand.

When the couple went to go to the restaurant, Shikamaru took the young girl in his arms and it wasn't long after that she started pulling his cheeks with more strength Shikamaru thought she'd have.

« Ouch, ouch, Mirai stop this, it hurts.....Mirai, let go. »

Of course, seeing how funny it was to annoyed her big brother, Mirai decided that she won't let go and Shikamaru knew it.

In hard time like this one, a time when an enemy has the power on you, you have to use their weakness. And this was the only way for Shikamaru to save his cheeks.

So, he retracted the hand which were trying to stop Mirai's own to directed them toward her belly.  
Without any mercy, he started tickling her , making Mirai laugh before abandoning the young man's cheeks.

A few hours later, both were on the sofa watching Mirai's favorite show about ninjas. Well, actually, it was the only thing Mirai was watching on a screen. She was way more often outside, playing with her friends or with her parents, and everyone preferred it that way.

« So, you finally made a choice about what you want to be later ? »

Lately, Mirai was thinking a lot about what she's wanting to be after not being able to give an answer when her teacher asked her. Obviously, it did not bother her as it bother a teenager who has to choose quickly a way for his future, giving them a lot of stress.

Mirai just did not like not having an answer. Especially when it was about herself. In barely one month, she wanted to be almost all the job imaginable.

Shikamaru was sure that the answer she's about to give him won't be the same she'll give years later, but he was still curious.

At the question, Mirai red eyes focus on him rather than on the screen and with a big smile which was missing a few teeth, she answered with way too much excitement :

« I want to be a princess ! »

« ….. A what ? »

« A PRINCESS ! Don't tell me you don't know what a princess is ! »

She narrowed her eyes in his direction, trying to know if he was serious or not.

« Of course I know it....but... » Shikamaru didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell a six years old girl that being a princess is not a proper job, could he ?

He knew he wasn't fair for her, and it wasn't his job to tell her this.

« Well, I am happy for you Mirai. Really happy. »

Suddenly, a big smile came back on Mirai's face, and she started, while jumping on the sofa, which seemed to be used by the little girl in the past years, to tell him all the things she will do once she'll be a real princess as giving money to everyone for them to have enough food.

By looking at her, Shikamaru realized he missed those days, where, being a child, his main concern what to know what he could play with his friends.

Being an adult wasn't funny, and he wasn't pressed to see the future disillusion in Mirai's eyes when she'll discover the cruel reality where being the strongest is more important than the well-being of the population.

« Big brother ? Teach me how to play Choji ! »

The young man made a pause of his thought to replay the scene and be sure he understood well the statement of the girl . But after doing it, he earned two things : confusion and Mirai's impatient look.

« Playing Choji ? Do you mean playing WITH Choji ? I already told you he couldn't come today. Another day ok ? »

He said gently. He knew how children were when you don't give them what they want and, as cute as Mirai was, she wasn't an exception.

« NO ! I want to play to the game you always play ! The thing with pieces ! »

Realization hit him. She meant Shogi, his favorite game. The game he played with his father and with Asuma. Indeed, they were the only person who agreed to play with it.

His father was smart enough to win over him, and Asuma was too stubborn to stay on a defeat.

« Mirai, this game is... »

This was another time when you have to be extremely careful. Almost every answer led to a bad end. Shikamaru was a genius. But with children ? He was quite a mess.

He could not tell her this game was too difficult for her age because, stubborn as her father, she'll try to show him the opposite.

So, he opted for something easier : a lie as « I am not feeling very well right now. So I can't teach you anything in that state. »

At the same time, Her parents came home, as if knowing Shikamaru's distress.

Hearing her parents, Mirai seemed to forget everything about the game and rushed towards her father who took her in his arms and started ticking her.

« Everything was ok with her ? » Asked gently Kurenai.

« Yeah, as always. »

He yawned while saying this, it's been a long day, and keeping Mirai wasn't resting either.

Asuma, with still his daughter in his arms, came close to Shikamaru and put his big hand in the other's shoulder before thanking him.

« Thank you Shikamaru, you can go and have some rest. I'll treat you to the BBQ next time. »

After saying goodbye, the Nara walked home and, as always, felt asleep the minute he touched his mattress.

***

The next morning, Shikamaru woke up at the sound of his phone. He growled when he realized someone woke him up one hour before his alarm.

When he unlocked his phone, he saw he had two texts from an unknown number :

« Meet me now at my office. »  
« It's urgent. »

« What's the hell ? » Whispered Shikamaru.

Being still half asleep, he took more time than usual making his brain working and, after a few minutes, he understood he knew only one person who talk like she was superior to everyone.

How did she have his number ? That was a thing he will ask her when he'll see her.

At first, Shikamaru considered to stay where he was, and keep sleeping for one more hour, after all, she made him wait five days. But the last text made him hesitate. What if it was really urgent ?

With a sound showing his frustration, he threw his bed shits and prepare himself to go to the office before the opening, thing he never did before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello !  
> I am so sorry for the delay but i was sick and i started being busy, but i still enjoyed writting this story and i really hope you enjoy reading it !  
> Don't hesitate leaving a comment ! I'd like having your thoughts about it!  
> Have an nice day and take care of yourself ^^


	7. Five days

Noises of a fast walk could be heard inside the Hokage's building which was almost empty of its employees, leaving the silence takes place.  
Shikamaru, who was the reason of the noises, seemed lost in his thought , not paying attention to the surrounding people, rushing into some of them, afew couraeaous ones who came before the opening.

Even then, no words came out of him, no « sorry » or « my apologies »

Some people was obviously choked to see him here, at THIS early time, even Shikamaru himself was quite concerned about his sudden decision an hour ago.

Curiosity. It was his curiosity which were driving him toward her office. He could not pin down her behavior, and it was so frustrating. Especially for someone who liked being in control, such as the young Nara.

When he found himself in front of Temari's door, he came back to reality and opened it.

It wasn't the first time he made the choice to come in as if it was his own office. Last time, he did it because showing her respect was his last intention.

Today, it was because he was frustrated by her. Disappearing without a sign and suddenly coming back and giving him orders ?

It was quite getting on Shikamaru's nerves.

Barely had he placed a foot in this office, the urge to throw at her a remark got an important place in his mind. But his mouth closed as soon as he opened it.

He didn't know how it was possible, but the silence which reign in the room was way heavier than any jokes Lee told them. (Which means a lot of course.)

Temari never had the same position every time he came here, and this time wasn't an exception.

She was on her office's chair, her back turned at him and was obviously looking by the window. She must have heard him coming him as she took a loud breath, preparing her to talk.

The man at the opposite side of the room had so much to say. But the gravity of the air told him it wasn't really the time for that. So he let her speak first.

And it took longer than he wanted.

« Thank you for coming that fast. » Her voice was calmer than he expected, and she still had her back turned to him, as if she avoided confrontation, which seemed so out of her character.

« Well, I almost didn't. After all, you disappeared as quick as you came. » He blurted out.

He wasn't hurt, but he needed to tell her he did not appreciate this. Because of her, Shikamaru couldn't focus for the last few days.

It was already hard enough for him to work instead of sleeping, so with so much in his mind, it was totally impossible.

Temari expected his reaction, it could be seen at the way she looked at him when she finally decided to turn the chair and looking at him.

She slowly placed her elbows on the desk and drove her hands under her chin.

« I know and I am sorry Shikamaru. But, I had things to do. »

Her voice was, this time, so quiet. All of her behavior started worrying him. Something was happening, he knew it.

He frowned as he hoped the woman in front of him will tell him more about her « business » but nothing. Temari kept looking silently at him, making him understand the young Nara won't have more details.

« There is things I can't tell you. But I need your help one last time. » Her voice started being stronger.

« I need you helping me to convince the Hogake. I need his positive answer at least in five days last delay. »

A laugh without humor escape Shikamaru's mouth.

« In five days last delay ? It's impossible. You know it. And by the way, why ? Why can't you wait ? »

« Look, we increased your part on the oil. Konoha has no reasons to decline ! It would be absurd ! »

The man was puzzled by her reactions. When he came here, her voice was calm and cool. Now, as the second passed, it was higher and higher. He wasn't blind, he saw her anxiety in her eyes, and the concern in her voice's tone.

« You did not answer my question. »

« What ? » She blinked her eyes three times, trying to clear the emotions in them.

« What will happen in five days ? Why being so stressed about it ? »

Temari looked away. She wasn't about to give him an answer, which intrigued him more and more.

« I won't help you if you don't tell me. I don't trust you enough to help you blindly. Tell me and I'll consider it. »

She was torn apart. Indeed, he didn't trust her, but it was the same way for her. She couldn't trust the Nara either , and Shikamaru realized it.

He sighed.

« We can't help each other without trust. We both know that. Now, if you think your problem is big enough for risking trusting me, then you'll know where to find me. »

At this, he turned on his heels and prepared himself to go when a voice stop him.

« He's coming. »

« What ? » The word came out automatically, without his permission.

« The Kazegage. He'll be here in five days. If the contract is still on negotiation, he'll do it in his way. »

Shikamaru, when he first met Suna's princess, thought she was the type to be afraid of nothing. Not even spiders. But he was obviously wrong when he saw terror making its way on her face.

At the sight, he had goosebumps.

« His way ? What is his way ? »

« He is ready to do anything to achieve his ambitions. He won't even hesitate to put his people in danger if he has to. I can't let him do that. »

Her eyes were closed while she was talking and when she opened them, she took control of herself again, putting determination in her expressions.

Shikamaru knew a few things about the Kazegage. And one of those things was his cruelty.

But it was still hard to imagine a kage putting so much lives in danger just for oil. There was something more, something bigger that Temari kept for herself .

He took his decision.

« Fine, I'll help you. »

Indeed, he'll help her, but only to discover what was behind all this. He was deteminateto know what was in Suna's head. Especially if they were going to go against Konoha.

Yes, he will solve this problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone ! Here is a new chapter !  
> Hope you enjoyed it and please, tell me in comment what you think about it !  
> Take care !


	8. Disappointment

A man appeared, in a luxurious suit. As soon as he came out of the elevator, all eyes were on him, provoking owe.

His gaze was colder than ice, and judgmental. The rest of his face was blank. No emotions could be seen, and it was probably the scariest thing about him.

His only presence was enough to impose respect. He was the type of man who did not need to present himself to let know how much he was important. His look was clearly taking care of it.

His slow pace permitted the man to take a look on all the faces of this room of the building. He was clearly looking for someone. But as it was said before, with his blank face, it was impossible to know if the person the man was looking for was in a good or very bad situation.

Shiho, the secretary, knew it was her job to help anyone who was looking for something or someone in this building.

But the fear took possession of her. The man was so imposing she knew if she wasn't able to help him, she would be probably fired before even knowing it.

So, she decided to focus on her file, which was everything except interesting. But it was still better than talking to the scary man.

She thought that someone else, at the view of someone looking for someone, would graciously help him.

Clearly, she was wrong and Shiho discovered it when she heard a knock on her counter.

Suddenly, dark eyes met hers. And chill came all over her. She quickly cleared her throat before talking with a shaky voice.

« Good morning sir. May I help you ? »

The person in front of her stared at her, scanning her, for too long. She sank in her chair, trying to disappear.

She knew this look. But where ?

« Where is Sabakuno Temari ? »

At the voice, the young woman jumped. She was lost in her thought, trying to know where she saw this look before, trying to remember if she met this man before.

But no. She saw this look in someone's else face. And the unknown man just told her who.

Yes, this look was the same the young princess gave her the first time she came here. HER look. The one saying « I am way better than you and for this, I am going to take Shikamaru away from you. »

Well, it wasn't exactly saying that. She was certain this man wasn't after Shikamaru. And she wasn't even sure Temari was after him either.

BUT, Shikamaru asked for days about Temari. Wanted to know if she was in her office. It was when no one had news about her.

But even now that she is here again, she saw the Nara everyday walking toward her office. And worst, he stayed in there for hours.

Anyway, she wanted to roll her eyes. Why was everyone so focus on Temari.

« I don't have time to waste. Or you tell me where is she, or I make sure that today is your last here. Am I clear secretary? »

She suddenly realized she never answered him. Her jealousy made her lose focus, and she returned to reality at the angry and threatening voice.

Shakily, the young secretary shown him the direction of Temari's office, prying for him to go as soon as possible.

Happily for her, the man didn't ask for more and walked in the right direction.

The door being in front of him, he opened it and closed it before walking toward the desk in the middle of the room, which was occupied by a young lady.

« Shikamaru, I already told you to knock before coming in. My office isn't.... »

At first, her voice was full of annoyance but, quickly, as Temari moved up to look at the man, her voice died and her teal eyes were wildly opened in shock.

Without waiting, she stood up and inclined her head downward and talked with a voice with less control than she wanted.

« Kazekage-sama, you were supposed to come only in few days. »

« I was Temari. But your incompetence drove me here sooner than expected. »

Rasa's voice did not fail to make her daughter shake in fear, while he walked and sat in her big and comfortable chair.

With no choice, Temari sat in front of her father, in a chair which wasn't hers.

« I am about to conclude the deal. Just give me more time please. A few days is all I ask. »

« I don't want to wait a few days. You told me it won't last more than a week. But here we are. You are a disappointment. I have no other choice than to take the lead. From now on, I am responsible for this deal. You, you will watch and learn. I hope for you this failure will be the only one. »

Temari had always been someone proud who feared almost no one. But in front of her father, the strong woman was reduced to a little girl afraid of her father, at a point she could not look at him in the eyes.

« You know how much this plan is important right ? The sound's village won't wait any longer. We need to be stronger, but we need them for now. »

He paused, looking at her daughter, before speaking again.

« You will be the future Kazekage. And I thought you were ready. But you failed. You can't imagine how angry and disappointed I am. Anyway, we will set this when we'll be back in Suna. »

Terror took Temari. She was used of her father's anger, which terrified her even more.

« So, tomorrow we have a meeting with the Hokage. Be ready to go back to Suna soon. I have a proposition they could not refuse. »

Her daughter suddenly raised her head and what she saw froze her. The smile on Rasa's face was evil.

Temari knew what he was about to do. But she could not do a thing. Her father was an insurmountable obstacle. She was too afraid of him.

« Well, I am tired, I'll go back to the hotel. You, you stay here and work. It's a simple task so try to not fail. »

When he finally came out, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. With her head between her shaky hands, she tried to think, to find a solution.

She whispered.

« I can't let him do that.... »

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello every one ! This time, we did not have Shikamaru's thought and feelings !  
> As you can see, I really hate Rasa. Even after the war, he was still one of the worst fathers in my opinion.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and leave a comment please !  
> Take care ^^


	9. Revelation

During the last few days, Shikamaru worked with Temari to find a way to conclude the deal as fast as possible.

He already found some arguments but it wasn't enough and he knew it. He needed more, he needed an argument that even his father could not argue with. This wasn't going to be simple but for Shikamaru it was as a huge Shoji's game. All he needed to do was finding the one and ultimate move which will end the game.

So he decided to have a hot drink in the coffee shop not far from his place. An ideal place to think quietly.

The interior was cozy, furnished with a lot of woods, it felt like being in a tree house, reminding him of his family's forest where deers were living peacefully.  
A calm music could be heard and the fact that a majority of people preferred the famous coffee with a mermaid made the place almost empty, but not enough to made it close its doors definitely.

Shikamaru was a regular customer, so, the three employees here recognized hims pretty quickly and welcomed him warmly as if they were his friends.

The young man chose a table at the back, where he could be absolutely alone and not disturbed in his task.

Then, he started thinking again. At first, he concentrated on the deal and how to make it a success before the Kazekage's arrival.

But, then, he stopped on him. He couldn't stop remembering the fear on Temari's voice when she talked about him.

He knew this topic was serious. Indeed, his daughter said he'll do anything to reach his goal. This is why he, Nara Shikamaru, needed to do something. He wasn't the type of guy to use so much time to help people from another place, but it would have been troublesome to remember that he could have done something to help them.

His thought were interrupted by an employee who, because Shikamaru always drunk the same drink, placed the drink in front of the young man.

« Do you need something else sir ? »

The employee was a man with red hair and a kind face. His voice was low but full of respect and kindness.

Shikamaru told him he did not need anything else. At the same time, he felt his phone vibrating, and he reached for it as fast as possible.

It was a text from Temari. The last time she sent him one, was when she asked him to join her at her office.

Again, she asked him if she could meet him for something urgent. It looks like she used texts only for important matters, but unlike the last time, this test was a bit more respectefull and sounded less like an order, which was a huge improvement.

They always meet at her office because they were exclusively talking about work. But this time, Shikamaru was outside the building, in a calm place he did not want to leave.

So, he wrote quickly an answer before putting his phone in one of his pocket. Right now, the young man was looking for peace. He'd give anything to be lying outside, on the grass and looking at clouds. He always loved clouds, they were free, unlike him since he became an adult.  
But he couldn't complain like this all the time. Even if his life was actually a drag, he still had responsibilities and it would have been more troublesome to have his mother yelling at him for being lazy.

After taking a few sips of his drink, Shikamaru lean on his seat and closed his brown eyes.

It was so easy for him to relax, a few minutes with his eyes closed was enough for him to fall asleep. The surrounding noises could be annoying of course but it was for this reason he like this place. The noises were as rare as Temari's smile.

But his peace was abruptly broken by someone cleared their throat.

He jumped at the sound and winced when his knee made contact with the table, letting blasphemies escaping his mouth.

When Shikamaru looked up to see who dared to disturb his moment of peace, he wasn't surprised to see the blond woman who was always the one to explose his bubble, and the little smile playing on her lips told him she quite enjoyed it.

Temari was dressed in a simpler way than usually which surprised the young man. He was used of seeing her in a very professional way. She only wore a simple jean with a with turtleneck jumper.

She sat elegantly, coffee on her hands and started looking at him. The look on her eyes made him uncomfortable. Indeed, she looked defeated, and he had to admit he started to worry a bit.

The young woman bit her lower lip and looked away to watch people outside. People were happy outside, laughing happily in every directions. They seemed all so peacefull...unlike Te mari.

In front of her, Shikamaru was waiting. He was usually patient but right now, he just wanted to know what was happening.

« If I was the Hokage, I would not accept the deal with Suna. »

Her voice was low, as if she was telling him more a secret than advice.

His first thouhg was : Is she kidding me ?

He frowned. Why the sudden change of behavior ? She asked him to help her to make Konoha accepting the deal and now, she was telling him the opposite.

This woman was so troublesome.

Shikamaru let a loud sight coming out of his mouth before rubbing his face with his hand.

« And why that ? »

« It could be dangerous. You never know what are the other's intentions. For example, they could have a deal with another nation. And maybe both of them want to overpower Konoha. »

At this moment, Shikamaru was extremely disturbed. He was a genius, but what was happening was something he couldn't figure out if Temari kept being mysterious. Maybe she was manipulating him ? But for what ? Nothing made sens.

« Temari ? »

When he said her name, her teal eyes met his. Shikamaru never called her by her name.  
He didn't notice it and kept talking.

« I really don't understand »

The young woman seemed really annoyed as if she thought that, being a genius, Shikamaru would have understood her enigma.

« I am just saying a possibility. I am just saying that Konoha should not accept the deal with Suna. Not yet. Especially not today. »

Suddenly, the answer hit Shikamaru. She was telling him something she wasn't supposed to tell. She was trusting him enough to tell him the real plan of Suna.

Rasa was plotting something against Konoha with the help of another country.

Temari couldn't directly tell him. After all, she loved her birthplace and the last thing she wanted was to directly betrayed it. It was as if guilt would hit her with less brutality that way.

« And IF it was real, who would help Suna ? » He asked.

« I don't know, maybe a place as the Sound ? They have a good army but no money. And Suna can have the money with this deal. This plan could be perfect. »

« I see, then I think I should go and talk to the Hokage to warn him, right ? »

He then looked at Temari, who shook her head in approval.

Without waiting, he left the place and run toward the Hokage's building. He didn't know the time of the meeting with the Kazekage and something told him that Temari didn't know either.

Happily, when he rushed in Minato's office, Rasa wasn't there, which gave him the time he needed to explain Suna's real plan.

Shikamaru wasn't really sure if he could trust Temari but if she was right he wasn't about to let them do this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone ! Sorry for the delay but I didn't really know how to writte this chapter ^^  
> But I really hope you enjoyed it and please leave a comment to tell me what you think about it !  
> Take care !


	10. Consequences

When Rasa step in the building, his confident fill the air. It was like every part of his behavior was screaming his near victory.  
He was about to make of Suna a great place with a powerful army.

Of course, some sacrifices needed to be made for this, but it was a bad for a bigger good which, for him, justified everything.

He was wearing a suit in the same color as his hair, making him elegant but, with the expression of his face : cold, his look was definitely scary as always.

But, even if he was confident, anyone could see he was angry. Angry of being here when he trusted his daughter for this. He thought she was ready, but she wasn't, so he needed to do all the travel until the city he hated the most to do her job.

When he found himself in front of the Hokage's office, he fixed his tie and, with the most superior look he could have, he knocked.

The door was slowly opened by the young woman from the last time. He was surprised that she still had a job here. If he was the boss, he would have fired her without regrets. What he needed was to have competent people, which she wasn't.

His cold stare fell on the two only men in the room : Minato the Hokage and Shikaku Nara. They were both smart, but no one could ever figure what was Suna's plan. So, they were no reasons for Rasa to lose today.

After some brief salutation, Rasa was invited to sit and after doing it, he did not lose any time and started to tell them why they both needed this.

« -Well, without being rude, we must tell you that we already know this. Your daughter did quite a good job about it by the way. » Said Minato.

«-I am glad to hear this. But she is still very young and I think she must have forgotten some important matters. »

« -No, I assure you, She told us the exact same story than you, Kazekage. You must be very proud of her right ? But, I have to tell you that we can't accept your proposition. »

Surprised could be easily seen on Rasa's face. He knew it would be difficult, but he did not know Temari would have messed this up so badly.

He was about to ask why, to tell them that his daughter wasn't still good enough in this and that she may have said some things which weren't in their advantage ; but before he could even open his mouth, the Hokage talked.

« -We had some information about a possible betrayal because of an alliance you may have with the sound. Of course, we are not sure but I think you can understand that we can't take this risk.  
Moreover, our source is quite....trustful. »

With this last sentence, he knew exactly who told them that, and he will make sure to find a punishment equal at her betrayal. He trusted her but she decided to destroyed all hope for the village. He thought he raised her better than that. 

But right now, he needed to have the situation in control again. He still had a chance.

« I don't know who told that but your accusation is very serious. Yet, I understand your distrust if someone you trust told you this. This is why I am ready to give you the money you asked at the beginning of our deal. Maybe this will show you my kind intentions. »

A long silence followed. Rasa, of course, knew that giving this amount of money will have big repercussions on his people, most of them won't have enough money to survive but as he always said : sometimes, sacrifices need to be made.

Of course, he did not tell them this, he knew Konoha was very protective toward its people, and they would never accept a deal with a man who is ready to send them to death.

« I think I still have to refuse your offer. I can't accept all this money when I know the fate of your people. This is against my principles. Indeed, I also heard about Suna's people's condition which is already rude and difficult. I don't want to make it harder for them by taking the few coins they have. »

At this moment, Rasa wasn't surprised anymore. If Temari told them about the real plan, then she also told them about Suna's situation. That girl was talking way too much for his taste.

He lost, because of his daughter. And this, he couldn't accept it.

Without another word, he stood up and walked angrily away until his face met the cold air of Konoha.

Then, he quickly called the one who destroyed everything, giving her a rendezvous an hour later. He'll make sure to make Te mari pay.

***

When Temari heard her phone ringing, fear creeped under her skin. She knew who it was, but she did not know what happened during her father's meeting.

In all imaginable cases, the Hokage told Rasa he knew everything and, of course, her father should have figured it out really quickly.

This thought was confirmed when she heard his voice. It was cold but still calm and this, it meant she was in real trouble. She knew what her father could do when he was this angry, she saw it before.

But it was the first time this anger was because of her.

Temari wasn't afraid of a lot of things but her father always terrified her.

But, even with this thought, the fact that, maybe, she saved her people made her happy ad relived.  
She was ready to take the consequences in the face if this meant innocent lives were saved.

After a few words, the Kazekage hang up, leaving the young woman in silence while she crashed on the sofa of her hotel's room. Closing her eyes, she started imaginating what Rasa would do to her.   
He was cruel but...he wasn't going to kill her right ? 

Suddenly she realized something. After this,there was no doubts that she was going back to Suna, but she couldn't properly thank him. So, she took her phone back and quickly taped some words for him :

« Thank you Shikamaru »

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys !  
> Sorry taking so much time for a whapter this short but....I could not find something else to write haha.  
> So, I really hope you still liked it and please leave a comment !  
> See you next time and take care !


	11. Sniper

Focused on his phone, Shikamaru did not even hear the sound of cheer his friends were making in his place.

His blond friend Naruto insisted on doing a private party between them (It's been more than one month since they were all together and it was way to long for Naruto's taste), and to be sure his lazy friend would come he proposed to do it in his place.

Of course, everyone agreed without properly asking Shikamaru if he was fine with this so... He couldn't refuse, it would have been too troublesome and they would have come anyway.

After a long day of saving Suna's people, the young man wanted to do nothing else than sleeping, so the view of all his friends having fun in his place as soon as he stepped in it almost made him close the door and run away.

Unfortunately, one of his best friends, Ino, spotted him to quickly and dragged him in the dancing mass not without filling Shikamaru's hand with a glass.

« I am not dancing Ino, I'm not in the mood right now. » His voice sounded tired but it wasn't enough to make the girl gave up. Indeed, she answered fast and hard.

« You're never in the mood, lazy. Just have fun for once ! »

Well, she was right. Shikamaru wasn't a dancer. The idea of being so close of people always made him uncomfortable, even if those people were his friends.

Moreover, he did not know how to dance.

He quickly shook his head to say no before walking toward the sofa and falling loudly on it.  
A headache was coming, caused by the loud bang of the music and the voice of his friends, making him wanted to leave, more than ever.

When this possibility became his only thought, he started to stand up to leave them having THEIR party in HIS place,suddently his phone vibrated showing a text.

He couldn't exactly explain why every time he received a text from her, his heart was beating faster.  
He did not like this feeling and tried to push it in the back of his mind to completely focus on the words he was reading.

Shikamaru did not expect that. Indeed, she already thanked him once so it was quite useless to tell him one more time.

Moreover, Temari wasn't the time of person who waste her time doing useless things.

Suddenly, a loud sound of broken glass made the room grow silent. When the Nara's eyes fell on the direction of the sound, he found his blond friend beside what was a beautiful blue vessel made by hands by his mother.

A grunt escaped his mouth while covering his eyes in despair.

« God, what did I do to deserve this ? »

« Oups ? »

Naruto tried to pick up all the pieces without cutting himself but did not seem to manage and finished with hands covered by his own blood.

« I am sorry Shikamaru. But I'm sure I can fix it with some glue Dattebayo ! »

Naruto's voice sounded so hopeful that Shikamaru just nodded and showed him where his glue was.  
Moreover, this should keep his friend busy and keep him from doing any other « breaking » thing.

Shikamaru was exhausted at this point. He wanted to be alone, to have some peace.

Instead, he had more than ten people having a party at his house and this, was absolutely not his definition of « peace ».

Fortunately, his bedroom was free from any troublesome people, permitting him to lie down. He came in and quickly close the door for no interuption. 

But still, the annoying sound of the music was still here. Judging by the style of the music, Ino was the one choosing them and, of course, it was typically the type of music Shikamaru hated.

So, to try to stop the stupid music from entering his mind, he turned on his little black TV in his room. It was little but enough for the short utilization per day Shikamaru had with it.

His problem with TV was the fact that most of the time he was just zapping. And for him, zapping was taking too much stamina.

It was when a dilemma was created. He had to choose between zapping for something interesting but it was troublesome and maybe he won't find a good thing to watch.  
Or, he could just watch the first thing he saw, knowing it would probably not interesting but, at least, he won't waste the little stamina he had.

The second option was the one he almost always chose. Fortunately for him, his TV was set in the information. It wasn't Shikamaru's favorite programm, but he knew how important it is to be informed of was it happening in their world.

As always, they were drama in the information. Either it could be a celebrity posing in an inconvenient way or either it could be serious as someone death.

Unfortunately, tonight was a night where death is announced. Indeed, the presenting woman told that this happened just a few minutes ago, in the most famous and expensive hotel of Konoha.

This hotel was well known for housing famous or just really rich people. It was THE place for them. Especially if you wish to have more contact for your business or reputation.

Of course, it was typically the place where Shikamaru would not like sleeping. There, there were far to more drama for him and tonight information was just a proof.

His attention back to the television, the young man kept listening.

He wasn't really surprised when it was said that a sniper was the cause of all this trouble. Two shots have been heard before the arrival of the police which wasn't far. Indeed, the were always in the street to make rich people feel safe.

The sniper was killed, trying to defend himself and killed one policeman in his way.

The sniper was a young man, unknown from the police for the simple fact that he wasn't from here.  
He was wearing bandana in his forehead with the symbol of Suna on it.

The police deduction was that the young man was from the rebel part of Suna, the part against the monarchy and the Kazakage's tyranny.

Shikamaru's heart stopped. They said no more, but he wasn't a fool. He knew exactly who was the sniper's target.

With shaking hands, he tried to take his phone and searched for her number.

They weren't very close but the though of her dead body were aching his chest, and he put the fault on his humanity.

« Any human being would be worried, so why I couldn't ? » He thought while the beeping of the call was resonating in his room and his head.

But, after the longest seconds of his life, someone answered his phone.

« Yes ? »

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone ! Hope you are fine since the last time.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and feel free to let a comment !
> 
> See you next time !


	12. The hospital

Konoha's main street was calm, silent and this was unusual. Indeed, even if it was late, people were outside, having fun, getting drunk and all. This place was always alive and as long as Shikamaru can remember, he never saw this street in this state.

The reason wasn't hard to find. The event of the night happened not far from here, and people were scared, even if the culprit has been killed.

Shikamaru could not blame them, but he wasn't scared. What happened wasn't just an accident, the sniper wasn't just crazy. He had a target and a mission, he died doing it.

What disturbed the young Nara was the fact that this man sacrificed his life for this mission.  
Did he think he was doing something good for his birthplace ?  
Did he think about the consequences of what he was about to do ?  
What about his family and friends ?

Thinking about it was useless, a dead body could not give the answer.

This was with this thought that Shikamaru walked faster toward the hospital until its double door could be seen.

Konoha's hospital was huge and well reputed because of Lady Tsunade who could find cure at almost everything in a short amount of time.  
But sometimes it wasn't enough. Lives were taken every day and even a prodigy of medicine could not save everyone.

Luckily, when Shikamaru came in the building, his eyes felt on one of his friends : Sakura.

Sakura has been working here for one year by Tsunade's side and was good at this. People were starting to think that she'll be the next prodigy which reassured them for their health.

« Sakura ! Hey Sakura. »

The young man's voice wasn't as loud as he wanted it to be. He was quite short of breath after his travel, and he was starting to think he should have taken a taxi.

Fortunately, Sakura heard him and, with some worry in her eyes at the view of her friend in this kind of place, she came to him.

« Are you hurt ? »

« No, no. I need your help to find someone. Do you know were Sabaku no Temari is ? »

While saying this, the young man were searching behind her, in hope of finding Temari but stopped and focus his eyes back on Sakura when her answer took a bit too long for Shikamaru's taste.

« What ? Something wrong with her ? »

Again, his friend did not answer. Sakura silently asked to follow her and, together, they started to cross the hospital.

As many people, Shikamaru hated this place. Hospital was deeply linked with pain and the loss of someone.

When little, he thought its walls were feeding on bad emotions and it was for this that he felt so uncomfortable there.

Around them were people suffering, waiting for a nurse to take care of them. Some others were waiting for their close one.

Shikamaru stopped when he saw that one of those people, head hidden in her hands, was Temari. She was waiting on an old chair, and he then remembered the call he had with her just before coming here.

***

« Yes ? »

Even if her voice sound tired, Shikamaru felt a wave of relief when he recognized Temari's voice .

« Temari ? Are you ok ? I saw the news. »

A silence follow before he heard her sight.

« I don't know. I guess I am. »

There were no doubts about the fact that he was talking to Temari, but, something in her voice seemed off.

He then remembered she was in a country which was not hers. She knew almost no one except him.

« Are you at the hospital ? » His voice was soft.

He thought maybe she could use a friend.

***

« It was hard to convinced her to let us heal her. She insisted on waiting for her father. They must be close right ? »

Sakura's voice took back Shikamaru in the present and realized what she said. Indeed, Temari's arm was in a dark arm brace but, except that, no other injuries was seen.

Slowly, he left Sakura's side to go toward the injured woman and sat just beside her.

He did not really know what to say. He wasn't excellent at comforting people, Shikamaru always told himself it was because some people are better at that, but, maybe it was because he never really tried.

« You did not have to come Shikamaru. »

He sightly jumped, surprised that she was the one talking.

« I know, but you don't really know anyone beside me right ? »

Her silence confirmed his question and, just then, Temari straightened and stared in his eyes.

He could finally see her face, but, he did not expect to see blood on it, just little drop of it among her freckles. Urgently, he wanted to ask her what happened, if it was her blood, but she talked before.

« They think that I stay here to be sure my father is fine. »

A bitter laugh escape of her lips, giving him chills. Shikamaru could see hatred in her teal eyes and, as thought she knew he saw it, she turned her stare and fixed it on the wall in front of them.

« But the thing is.... I need to know that he is dead. »

Shikamaru did not expect her to say that. He knew she could have thought this, but not saying it, and to him moreover.

« You can think I am a monster to think this of my own father, but this is the truth. This man caused so much pain... And this pain, on his own people, was so strong that it helped them to revolt.  
If he is dying right now, it is because of his actions.  
It's time for him to take his responsibilities. »

What she was saying was a confidence. Something she'll never say in front of someone else, something she might never even tell to herself.

The young man could not say she was wrong. The sniper was from a group a rebels which acted especially against the Kazekage. That bullet wasn't a simple one. It represented the suffering of a whole community.

« Temari, we should go. You can't always stay here, you must be tired. You remember good coffee from last time ? We could talk there no ? »

Her first reaction was, obviously, to say no. She wanted to make sure of her father's state but, she also knew the operation will be quite long.

Temari quickly looked at him, as if he had all the answers she needed in his eyes, before nodding slightly her head.

Shikamaru never liked hospital so, if she needed to talk then they will go in a place which doesn't smell like death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooo guys !  
> I hope you're all fine.  
> So, here is a new chapter, I really hope you liked it and, please, leave a comment of what you think of it ^^.  
> See you !


	13. Chapter 13

Hello guys. I hope you are all okay and fine in these difficult times.

I am so sorry for my inactivity.

I think a lot about this story, like almost everyday as I want so much to finish it. I'm going to be honest, I feel blocked.  
I think it is because I am absolutely not satisfied with my writing and my storyline.

English is not my first language and this is the first time, my first experience of writing a multi chapter in English and this is very difficult for me. My writing feels so unnatural and this is really frustrating XD.

So I don’t really know what to do, I don’t want to abandon this story as, I really hope, some of you kind of like it ?

But at the same time maybe rewriting it would be the best option ?  
I don’t know…

Moreover, these times are kind of crazy, with this virus and college, so yes it’s hard.

I don’t have many comments on my story and I understand as myself I don’t write comments even if I should do it more than I know how happy a writer can be by a comment.

But today I’d really like to know what you think and what do you want ^^, so please, do not hesitate !

Thank you everyone for reading these words and take care of you !


	14. Lunch

Shikamaru was more than happy when he found the comfort of the coffee, contrasting a lot with the cold atmosphere of the hospital.

But even with this new comfort, the young man felt awkward. Indeed, his walk with Temari until here was really quiet. 

On one side, Te mari was totally lost on her thoughts and, on the other side, Shikamaru did not feel like interrupting her. Moreover, he had no ideas of what he was supposed to tell her.

After what she told him before, he could not possibly say something as « I am sorry for your father, I am sure he'll be okay. »

But at the same time, there were no way he could say « Hey, I really hope your father dies haha ».

So, he chose to say nothing. If she needed to talk then he'll be here. If she wanted silence, then he'll be quiet. 

So many questions were tormenting him. So much happened, and he had to admit that he was a bit lost.

When people were talking about Suna's royal family, they were all saying the same thing : « The father gave cruelty to his children by his blood », and Shikamaru believed them.

How could he not ? How could he not believed people he knew since his was born ? The answer was simple : He should have made his own opinion, that's all. 

And it's what he did, this day, in front of this woman who lost so much but who fight much more to protect her people.

« Why ? »

His voice blew up the bubble in which they were in silence. He needed to know, to be able to form a new opinion by his own.

They were obviously both surprised by his question and Temari's look almost made him give up, apology and say « forget about it ». 

But he close his mouth and said nothing else. He wanted to know and he deserved an explication. 

Temari's lost gaze was replace by an annoyed one. Shikamaru did not know if it was better but at least he was way more familiar with it. 

« What ? Should I have let my father kill innocent people ? You know Nara, Konoha is not the only place which wants to protect its people. So what's.... »

« You know exactly what I mean Temari. Why me ? »

After a little silence, she shrugged and answered casually ;

« You said it yourself. I don't know anyone except you. »

Shikamaru wasn't really convinced. She could have directly talk to the Hokage and he was about to tell her that when the young woman stood up. 

« I am tired. I should go. Thanks for the coffee. »

« What ? » 

Suddenly, he realized that she quickly disappeared without paying for her coffee. 

«Troublesome woman » he said with a smile curling his lips.

***

The following day, the young Nara visited his parents. He was quite close to them and his clan, so it wasn't unusual of him to have lunch with them at least once a week. Today it was only the three of them but sometimes, Ino and Choji, accompanied by their parents, would join them.

His childhood's house was tremendous and traditional, a symbol of the clan. The building was over hanged by a green forest, a place of peace for the deer. Those deer, except being extremely cute were also used for medicine (only their antlers were used). Indeed, medicine was, with politic, the Nara's predominant domains.

When Shikamaru stepped inside the house, he was hit with familiarity and comfort from his childhood. 

« Shikamaru ! What are you doing staring at nothing like that ! Come ad help me, lunch isn't going do to it itself ! »

This woman'll never stop bossing me around, thought Shikamaru. 

Slowly, he took of his shoes and walked toward the kitchen to help his mother. 

« Dad is still in his office ? » Asked Shikamaru, focused on peeling a vegetal. 

« Yes, he spends more time in this only room than in all the other rooms of this house reunited. »

Shikaku was known and respected for his work and serious, and it was the reason why he worked directly with the Hokage. 

When everyone thought about it, they found it « so cool » and « awesome », but they never gave a thought on his family and his own health. 

Of course, working seriously is important, but there is a thin line, a line that no one should cross because the consequences aren't just on this person, but on everyone around them, especially their family.

Shikamaru's mom, Yoshino, was feeling a bit lonely in this huge house, especially since her son moved. 

That was for this reason that Shikamaru tried as much as he could to come see his parents. 

When they both finished cooking, Yoshino walked toward her husband's office while ordering her son to set the table. 

While they were eating, the Nara's family wasn't much talkative, they were probably too much in their thought, or maybe they just like the peace that surrounded them during this short time. 

So, it was surprising when the oldest man spoke looking directly in his son's dark eyes. 

« The young Temari send me by mail all the proofs of what her father was about to do and their deal with the sound's village. »

« Already ? But isn't it dangerous ? If her father stays alive he will... »

« The kazekage died early this morning. No one with suffer because of him anymore. »

Shikamaru's mouth was still open since the second his father cut him. He can't really say he's surprised, as he knew the Kazekage came in the hospital in a critical state, but, unlike what he'd like, he was a bit disappointed that Temari did not warned him. 

« Anyway, I am proud of you Shikamaru, you did a good job during all this time. »

Without another word, Shikaku returned his attention to what he was eating, his son imitating him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys ! It's been a long time and I'm so sorry about it !   
> So I read my story again and I tried to correct some mistakes and add more details for a better understanding because even I was a bite lost sometimes XD. 
> 
> I hope you will like this chapter <3
> 
> Take care of you ! ^^


End file.
